Lipstick holder



Dec. 24, 1946. s MACKEY 2,412,999

LI PSTICK HOLDER Filed May -12, 1945 INVENTEJFK A. 5. MAC K EY ATTEJR N BY 5 Patented Dec. 24, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT FO'FFI'CE LIPSTICK HOLDER Alexander S.-Mackey, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn, a, corporation of Connecti- Application May 12, 1943, Serial No. 486,700

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a lipstick holder.

At the present time there are two general types of lipstick holders: (a) the type which projects the lipstick from the holder by rotating an end of the holder, and (b) the type which projects the lipstick from the holder by sliding it axially therefrom by means of a projection passin through an elongated slot in the casing of the holder. Both of these forms of construction have disadvantages.

On the one hand, the first type is morecomplicated to manufacture and usually requires the use of two hands to operate it. Gn the other hand, the second type presents disadvantages in thatthe projection is liable to catch on the clothing, it may very often be broken off, and usually is located at the base of theholder and is, therefore, sometimes difiicult to operate when using only one hand. These disadvantages can be avoided in a simple and efficient type of construction.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a lipstickholder of simpletype requiring few parts through which the lipstick can be readily projected in a simple operation only requiring the use of one hand.

A further object of'the invention is to provide a lipstick holder of this character which is symmetrical throughout and avoids projections of any kind.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a construction wherein the actual lipstick holder as distinct from the casing therefor is of such simple and inexpensive construction that it can be discarded when the lipstick has been used to the maximum degree and a new holder carrying lipstick substituted in the casing.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a lipstick holder which will lend itself to manufacure from many materials.

With these and other objects in view the invention generally comprises a lipstick holder including a casing, a lipstick cartridge slidably mounted in the casing designed to slidably project lipstick from one end thereof, the casing being formed with a slot or opening intermediate its length, the cartridge having a frictional or gripper surface underlying the slot and engageable through the slot with a digit of the hand to project the lipstick from the "holder.

The invention will be clearly understood by reference to the following detailed specification Fig. 1 is an elevation-of a lipstick hclder'with the closure-cap in place.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsection taken through the holderas shownin Fig. 1 illustrating various of the parts.

Fig. 3 is an elevation ofthe lipstickholder with the cap removed illustrating the opening or slot in the casing of the underlying lipstick cartridge, the latter being partially projected from the top of the holder.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectionalldetail 0f the upper part of the lipstick holder illustratingthe manner in which the cartridge is prevented, from being projected from thecasing beyonda certain degree; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentarysectional detail taken through the lipstick cartridge to illustrate the manner in whichthe lipstick is carried by the holder.

Referring to the drawing, A indicates the lipstick holder as a Whole which consists in the lipstick holder proper ll] slidably mounted within theshell l I, capped at one end .bya suitable base 12 which may be frictionally fitted-to the shell as shown, or connected in other suitable detachable manner such as screw threading. The opposite end ofthe shell is open as at l3 and the edge of the opening ispreferably in-turned s 1y as indicated at 14, there being a sufficient opening to permit the lipstick l5 to be projected therethrough without scraping on the edges of the shell.

The shell isformed with a slot or opening it intermediate its end and dividing the shell I I into a lower closed end and an upperdischarge end. The lipstick holder I0 is exposed through the opening It as particularly illustrated in 'Fig. 3. In this connection, the slot-is preferably of substantial width comparatively with its length as illustrated so that a digit of a hand such .as the thumb may be inserted through the opening into engagement with the underlying holder. By substantial width or length I mean .to define an opening f such proportions either way aspracticable to permit the passage of a substantial or sufiicient portion of the digit of a hand thus to provide for the practical movement of the lipstick holder manipulated directly by such, digit. The latter has a frictional or gripper surface pref erably transversely ribbed as at I! so that. the digit of the handmay have a non-slipping engagement with the holder l0. Thus, by moving the digit upwardly, the lipstick cartridge, comprised by the holder lll and lipstick [5, may be moved axially in the shell to project the lipstick to a desired degree and to the full extent of the lipstick where necessary. The holder 10 terminates at its upper end in a slight shoulder [8 which, when it engages the slightly in-turned end [4, will prevent the holder from being projected from the end of the casing.

The holder l preferably takes the form of a cylindrical hollow member which receives the inner end of the lipstick to form the cartridge as shown in Fig. 5. The holder is, as may be noted, of particularly simple form which may be manufactured very readily and may be discarded when the lipstick has been used to be replaced by a filled cartridge.

The cartrige is inserted in the shell merely by removing the base plate I2 so that it may be projected into the shell and retained there upon replacement of the base plate. The frictional surface is then disposed directly beneath the opening of the shell and the cartridge may then readily be moved axially outward or inward of the casing to project or retract the lipstick. The gripper surface I! is so arranged on the holder ID as to always be exposed through the opening IS.

The construction lends itself to a neat symmetrical holder in that the shell may be formed with the annular projecting band 2| against the upper edge of which the end of a suitable closure cap 22 may engage while against the lower edge of which the base I2 may engage, thus to form a continuous smooth outer wall when the cap is in place.

The construction eliminates the necessity of projections for the purpose of operating the lipstick cartridge, which projections complicate manufacture, entail greater expense, and usually require a notch in the cap so that the latter may straddle the projection, making it necessary for the user to replace the cap in a predetermined manner in order to cause such notch to register with the projection.

Furthermore, a, projection of this kind very often is broken off where it is a case of employing thin metal, plastic or wood since the projection must be relatively small and consequently is not of great strength. The present invention avoids the disadvantage of such a projection while at the same time facilitates operation with one hand as the opening is sufliciently large to expose a substantial part of the underlying holder whereas the opening is positioned intermediate the ends of the shell and, therefore, in a position where the shell may be readily balanced in the hand and easily operated. Such operation is sometimes difficult with the conventional holder where the projection is usually placed adjacent the bottom of the holder and thus rendered more difiicult to operate in this manner.

Finally, it will be apparent that the construction lends itself to two further advantages. On the one hand, due to the fact that the holding member is free readily to slide in the shell and is not impeded by any possible friction which might be set up between a guide slot and a projection passing therethrough, as known in the prior art, the holding member when held vertically or substantially vertically and released by the digit of the hand will drop back by gravity within the shell to eliminate any possibility of breakage of the lipstick or mushrooming thereof when the cover is pressed into place on the shell. On the other hand, in a cylindrical construction the cartridge may be rotated in the shell by the digit at the same time as such digit acts to project the lipstick from the shell or may be caused to rotate the cartridge without regard to the projection of the cartridge, thus, making it possible to present a different part of the tip of the lipstick without making it necessary to turn the complete holder in the hand for this purpose.

The article of the present invention, due to its simplicity of construction, employing three main essential parts, viz., a holder, a shell, and a cover, lends itself to ready manufacture.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A lipstick holder comprising an elongated tubular body having a one dimensional bore throughout the major portion of the length thereof, a holding member within the bore of said body, means at one end portion of the member for supporting a lipstick therein, said member in its entirety being confined within the bore of said body and free for longitudinal and rotary movement therein, said body having an elongated and comparatively wide longitudinally extending opening therein intermediate the ends of said body and opening into the bore thereof, to expose said member to said opening to be accessible for engagement by a digit of the handin moving said member longitudinally of said body, said member having a roughened surface arranged circumferentially and throughout the major portion of the length thereof and disposed entirely within the tubular bore of said body for constant exposure through the opening in said body in all positions of the member therein, and means limiting the movement of said member in both directions in said body.

2. A lipstick holder comprising an elongated tubular body having a one dimensional bore throughout the major portion of the length thereof, a holding member within the bore of said body, means at one end portion of the member for supporting a lipstick therein, said member in its entirety being confined within the bore of said body and free for longitudinal and rotary movement therein, said body having an elongated and comparatively wide longitudinally extending opening therein intermediate the ends of said body and opening into the bore thereof, to expose said member to said opening to be accessible for engagement by a digit of the hand in moving said member longitudinally of said body, said member having a roughened surface arranged circumferentially and throughout the major portion of the length thereof and disposed entirely within the tubular bore of said body for constant exposure through the opening in said body in all positions of the member therein, means limiting the movement of said member in both directions in said body, a thimble-shaped closure cap detachable with respect to said tubular body and forming a closure for the upper open end of said body and the opening therein, and said holding member and cap being spaced apart by said body whereby no movement of the cap on said body can be transmitted to said holding member.

ALEXANDER S. MACKEY. 

